Bertha

Hi everyone! Wow it has been forever since I have been here to yak! I thought I would share some pics of my latest creation.... This is Bertha... (the birch tree.. shhhh... don't tell her she is a tree!) She is a funky tree huggin environmentalist... with style! Hope you enjoy the pic!

Man... I am no good at the everyday update.... !

Philly was on the Oncology wing from Monday thru Thursday... she finally got to get back to radiation on Tuesday. Wed. night I went up to visit... Jason dropped me off so I wouldn't have to park in the parking garage. Jason texted me on his way to pick me up.. asked if I wanted to try the brownie melt from Mc Donalds... Philly piped right in.. I would like a chocolate milk shake!!! AND a big mac AND french fries AND a brownie!!! LOL! Man! I told Jason and he just laughed! He asked ... she will eat all that? I said.. no... but she is the princess and can have whatever she wants! LOL! (or something close to that) Jason brings us all this food up to 3rd floor and hangs out with us ... I'll be danged... Philly attacked the ff first... poof they are gone.. then the big mac..holy cow! She ate like I have never seen her eat before! She said she was "climaxing"! LOL! and... Poof the big mac disappeared! One bite of the brownie... but then came the mild shake..... POOOOOOFFF.... gone! LOL! She ate it all!!! Except the brownie... but chocolate hasn't been doing it for her... she has choke on it several times... so doesn't want it much anymore. She was excited to be getting sprung in the morning.. Yeahhhh!

09-10-09
I worked for a bit in the morning. I took my lunch break to go see Phil ship off! Vinny and Mama were there... Philly was dressed and ready to go. While we are waiting for the doc we packed up all her stuff... and decided to try her new wig on....foo fooing it... it is soooooo danged cute on her! All the sudden she screamed really wierd.... I thought she was messing around... doing goofy stuff that Philly does.... thought she was celebrating going home!

2:00 pm
Till I looked at her face and it was frozen in place.... I looked at Ruth and yelled get the nurse.... ! Vinny was half way down the hall to go move his car... and heard the noise....It took everything in me to keep her from falling on the floor head first... two nurses came running in and started helping try to get her laying down..... by the time I started putting the bed down flat... there were about 25 doctor and nurses in the room ... me and mama were blocked in the room "CODE BLUE, CODE BLUE" is screaming over the intercom... crash cart blocking me in ... looking at Philly.... she's doin the fish... Oh my!!!! They finally made room for us to get out of their way... Shock... scared.. sick.. People yelling... I wanted to run away from there... I didn't want to be where I was and see what I see and hearing what I hear.... It's too unbelievable! Thank you to the social worker in the hall that grabbed me and ask if she could do anything for me and I said yes..... that she could pray with me.... standing in that hall I thanked God for his wisdom in these matters... to hold Philly in his hands and love her like a father loves his child... his will be done! Thank you whoever you were that shared that prayer with me.... Because it was answered... I am still not positive what his will for Philly is... but I am glad for the memories we are getting to continue to make. After they stabelized her they brought her straight to ICU again. They finally let us go in and see her.. and she was sooooooo upset... and confused. It was the first time that I have seen Philly break down though this all.... She was soooooooo scared and confused!

Another day of good and horrible... talked to Cammy.. and she decided to come up to see Philly... as it turns out Nikki came too! It was great to see them both. They both met at my house and we all went up to the hospital togather... Philly was tired but as soon as she seen Cammy and Nikki she was ready to yak! We stayed till She went off to get a MRI at 10:00 pm.

Out of ICU!

Philly broke out of ICU last night... she is now back in the Oncology wing 3rd floor , room 3-143. I was at the hospital this afternoon till after supper. Shes still on oxygen .... she is not on any eating limitations... but they are limiting her liquid intake... including water, coffee, tea, ice, milk shakes they are doing it because her sodium is high. she can now have visitors too! She is missing everyone.... and she now has her cell phone back! She is hoping to see all of you soon! Philly ate pretty good for supper and her kidneys are doing good. Vinny and Ruth were going to coming up around 7 tonight. I cut out and me and Jason went out to Life Light and got to see the Newsboys tonight. I can't believe how big that festival has gotten! It is crazy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h03k6c1_POg I wander how many people were there... I think they were expecting over 300,000 and it looked like there were ALOT there!

Just trying to add my phone to this blog.. See if it works

• Hey... I never said I was great at this updating thing... I have already missed a day. Well... I was up to see her yesterday, about 1:00 in the afternoon or so and she was tired. She did wake up at the mention of the mild shake in my hands though! Imagine that! LOL! She has been enjoying ice cream, yogurt, and cold stuff.. her throat is still sore from the tube... but her kidneys are working good they say.. so they want her to keep up on the calories. Right now the main thing that they want her to be doing is getting up and sitting in a chair... coughing up "junk"... and taking nice deep breathes... I looked at her latest ex rays on sat. and her lungs are still not good.. she is not getting alot of oxygen in them... both from the cancer and the pnemoneau.... She NEEDS to get well enough to get back into radiation! Philly or course want to know the truth and about want is going on.. and has been working on coughing up stuff.. they gave her a sucker hose thing to use to suck out crap in her mouth... I know it sounds gross but ??? She is still Philly with her smile and good humor! I am really learning alot about life.. and whats important... it isn't work(although the bills have to be paid) I can do with less toys and "stuff" in order to be with my friend when she really need me... to be there to hear what she has to say... and to laugh at her corny jokes! LOL! Life sure isn't about the things, you have , or the things you want, or about where you been and done... its about loving people... sharing yourself, listening (not a strong point in my life.. I want to do the talking), seeing past people flaws... (thank God!) I just can't put into words how privilege I feel to be Philly's friend and to hold her hand, laugh and cry with her though all this. AND most important of all knowing that Philly has Jesus in her heart and isn't afraid to meet him if that he want her to come to his house.

Look Who's Talking?

9-4-09
Today I had to get some work done... I have alot of apartments to get cleaned... And I knew that Vinny made it home last nite.. and I figured that He and Nana Ruth would want some time to see Phyllis.. so I wait to take the night shift. Got up to the hospital around 8:30... and......................."Guess who's talking?"! I still can't believe it! Here sits Philly with no tube anymore.... smiling to beat the band! MAN! Talking! CRAZY!!! They took her tube out around 11:00 this morning. She is breathing completely on her own since then... she does have an oxygen line in her nose. She was very alert and in her own words.. "a demanding bitch"! When I got there she was harassing the nurse about food.... saying she hadn't eaten in 4 days and she had alot of catching up to do!!! LOL! I got to give her some ice chips, some yogurt, and a cup of sherbet ice cream! Yehaw! It is crazy to think yesterday they were giving her "nutrition" though a tube! she still has a cath. but is peeing good.. so things are looking good there. she was given some morphine and started singing... old fart, old fart.... came back from the dark... old fart, old fart... has to.... fart! LOL! I asked her about the time that she was in a coma.... She said she seen her mom, and grandmother, and several other people... like a fast glimpse of them... and they were begging her and begging her not to come... they didn't want her there... she was early! (first time for everything!) She had some other jumbled thoughts...said God was watching her...she was very with it and alert. She still has pneumonia.. but it is improving.... they are hoping she will be able to move out of ICU .. back to the oncology wing. They are shooting for tomorrow (SAT) If she gets moved back to oncology she will be able to have visitors.... and phone calls... just let me say this though... what she really needs is rest.. the sooner she can get back to radiology the better.. she will continue to have these breathing problems till the tumors start shrinking... so... not trying to be bossy but.. You may want to time your visits... and keep it shorter starting out... and limit the phone calls.. if you call make sure to call her cell phone... the phone in her room is really loud and she has a very hard time reaching it. It is much easier for her to use her blue tooth. I will try hard to help her give you all updates on FB... starting maybe Sunday... tomorrow is going to b a big day for her if she is moved... She is gonna be pooped out. Geeeeesssshhhhh I do sound like her nurse!!! LOL! I am just trying to get her healthy.. and I know everyone wants that! I think we are all blessed to have her here still! Things are looking up! Also... I have been thinking about all of you... if anyone has any funny stories, goofy stories... and just plain smut on Philly that you would like to add to this blog , I think it would be fun to get stories on the Philly in your life.. We all know, love and have shared different parts of Philly... she is having a hard time believing that so may people love and care about her... I think it would be fun to as Shrek says "look at the onion... and peel away the layers"! So... come on send me anything you wanna share with me that I can copy and paste here to share with all the Philly lovers! LOL! sprat605@yahoo.com Today was a great day.....To God be the glory!

Philly

I just figured that it would be easier to put this on my blog.... that way people can go read it at once ... since they limit your writing space on FB (facebook).

One of my best friends just found out about 2 weeks ago that she had Cancer...She had been swollen up in her face for a couple of weeks , finally went to the doctor in Rock Valley, IA and they found "masses" in her lungs. They had her check into Avera Hospital in Sioux Falls where they started radiation right away.... found out the next day that it was cancer.... Stage four.... in her lungs, liver, and adrenaline gland. I have known this lady for many years and we have gone through and done some crazy things... This by far is the craziest! I should have started this blog a week and a half ago.... but hind site is always best... so I am starting from today.. and I will work my way back through things that have already happened and you can all take the "Philly Journey" with me. If your reading this more than likely you already know what a great gal she is... and I have learned more about her and what is important in life in the last week then I have anywhere else in all my life. I have earned a great respect for Phyllis Nelson this week.

09-02-09
Today was like I said before.... one of the worst days in my life AND on of the BEST! Philly is in ICU in Avera hospital in critical condition... Her breathing became so bad that they had to put a tube down her throat last nite.... She just laying in bed.... looking... well.... bluntly... dead. It was horrible to have to see! I am not prepared to watch my friend die!!! All day in the hospital gives you time to think about stuff... I have had to deal with death before... with aunts, uncles, cousins, grand parents, and my dad when I was younger.... but the pain the chance of losing one of your best girlfriends is almost more than you can bear... All the holidays spent together, picnics, hikes, going to the lakes, our birthdays, our kids birthdays, graduations, weddings... the list goes on and on the things and the secrets we have shared... "The Three Musketeers" Philly, Cammy and me....

Anyway... yesterday..

after hanging around the hospital till 3 or so in the afternoon... I truly didn't think I would see Philly again. The nurses in ICU said that they couldn't predict an out come... but she had improved from going minute by minute they were going hour by hour... looking at her survival. I found out how hard it was to walk out of a room of a person that you didn't know if you would ever see again...it is sucky... there isn't even a word to describe the heart pain....
Philly's son Scott called for an update on how she was just at the same time that I was trying to make excuses to myself about why I did need to go back up there... It was sooooooo depressing and I didn't want to see her like that... But... I went.. Thanks you soooooooooo much for calling Scotty...anyway... I walk into her partition in ICU whispered to her "hey Philly.. it's Jackie... I witnessed a true miricle!!!! She opened her eyes... and tried to talk!!!! Oh MY!! I started bawling ... told her she had no idea how good it was to see her eyes again! Both of us had a little cry. Thank you Jesus!!! If you know anything about Philly u know being quite is NOT her strong point! Even with a tube and ventilator she wants to talk! Even after being in a drug induced coma... she come out of it and wants to TALK!!! LOL! They had her hand tied down so she wouldn't pull the tube and ventilator out... so I explained to her that she had this tube.... and she couldn't mess with it. Asked the nurse if she promised to be good can she have her hands and her glasses back? They agreed ... but she still was trying to talk and... I suck at charades...I went and found a piece of paper thinking I would write the alphabet and point to letters and try to figure out what she is trying to say. Well.. surprise surprise .. she grabbed the pen and paper and started writing... Anyone have a guess what the first thing she has to "say"? "This is the longest they are gonna shut me up"!!! Though all this she has kept her sense of humor and dignity. She was flabbergasted that it was wed. nite.. she had lost alot of time... She wanted to know where her purse went.. and her journal that she has been keeping.. wanted to know when she would get a real room... wanted to know when she could have her teeth back! Also some messages... wanted every one of her friends to know how much she loves them....And thank everyone for their love and support.... She told me God was watching over her... and she was OK. She was very alert for just coming out of it... and wrote 4 pages of notes! I feel soooooooooooo blessed to be able to be with her through this.... It is really hard but worth it!

09-03-09
Went to the hospital this morn... they had gotten her out of bed and put her in a special chair... she was very much out of it again... how depressing! But as soon as I took her hand and whispered in her ear "Hello" she opened her eyes did a little finger wave and was out again. Nurse showed me her ex rays... her lungs are worse then when she came in on Tuesday but are better then they were yesterday. They had given her more drugs during the nite the same stuff that they gave her twice in the hospital before and she hated it! Which really stink that they feel that she needs it again. Bummer... So it was another down morning....She is getting rid of some of her waste fluids... which means her kidney's are still functioning. Good deal!
Went back up tonite about 8:30 ... Jason (my hubby) came along.... Philly was out when we walk in... but had her glasses on.. so I knew she had to have asked for them! Yahoo! Grabbed her hand...Which has no nails!!! Weird! Anyway... she opened her eyes and smiled!!! Yeah! She started tugging on her arms.. (they were tied down) So I got the OK and got them untied... she wants to write more right away...

Sorry I need to go to bed... I will write more later
Jackie